Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Pinkwashing

Wondering if public relations folks working with clients on breast cancer awareness campaigns are more sensitive to criticisms of pinkwashing than they used to be, now that it’s more of a topic in mainstream media?

Yes. Raising awareness for cancer, like raising awareness for veterans, is a special responsibility that calls upon a PR pro’s highest attributes: restraint and tact.

You need to eschew exaggeration and embellishment. Where these tactics may work in the service of other initiatives, here they only dilute the brand. The breast cancer story—a story of millions of moms, grandmoms, daughters, wives, sisters and aunts—sells itself.

With cancer, you are the custodian of a sacrosanct story that must be managed with the utmost integrity.